Hylian
Hylians are a major race of elf-like humans featured in the Legend of Zelda series. Overview The Hylians are a race of humans from the countries of Skyloft, Hyrule and the latter's flooded counterpart, the Great Sea. While it is unlikely that the people of Termina, a parallel world to the Kingdom of Hyrule, are also known as Hylians, they are their parallels. Descended from the people who lived among the goddess Hylia long prior to the establishment of Hyrule as a kingdom, they are a magic race with pointed ears who have inherited the blood, powers and abilities of their ancient ancestors. The most famous Hylians are the many heroes and princesses that share the same name as one another, the latter being of blood relation and naming tradition. Hylians were the first race to establish organized civilization in ancient Hyrule. At some point the Oocca also mentioned aiding them. History Creation & Skyloft The Hylian race is one of the oldest races in Hyrule, initially created by the goddess Hylia and living on the Surface world, then known as Hylia. When the demon Demise rose up in an attempt to conquer the world, Hylians fought alongside Gorons and other races to stop his conquest. Eventually they began to lose the fight, and in an effort to protect them and the Triforce, Hylia used the Master Sword to cut away a portion of the earth and send it skyward. She granted them Loftwings to travel around their new home and ordained that she would be reincarnated as a mortal Hylian in order to finish conquering Demise. This chunk of land in the sky became known as Skyloft, and it was the home of the Hylian people for many centuries. Hylians soon established a Knight Academy in Skyloft where they trained young men and women to become Skyloft Knights. A student could graduate and become a full-fledged knight by winning the Wing Ceremony. Link had been training at the academy for some time alongside zelda (who, unbeknownst to any including herself, was the mortal reincarnation of Hylia) when the events revolving around the Skyward Sword occurred. After the Surface was saved from Demise and Ghirahim, the residents of Skyloft descended to the Surface. Shortly after the Era of Chaos and the sealing of the Sacred Realm, Hylians founded the kingdom of Hyrule. Hylia’s Crest was added to and recolored to resemble Link‘s Crimson Loftwing to create the Hyrule Crest. The Minish Cap During the events involving the Minish Cap, Hyrule was a well-established kingdom ruled and primarily populated by Hylians. Hylia was no longer worshiped, nor were the Golden Goddesses. The Hylians celebrated the legends of the Hero who brought the Picori Blade (also known as the Four Sword) down from the sky to save the world, and it is during the Picori Festival that the Minish Vaati turned Princess Zelda to stone and began the events involving the Minish Cap and then the events involving the Four Swords. After Link saved the princess, Vaati was once again sealed in the Four Sword. The Ocarina of Time Hyrule was impacted by the Hyrule Unification War, a war that resulted in the various small kingdoms around Hyrule (the Zora Kingdom and Gerudo tribes, for an example) being united beneath the single monarchy of Hyrule. A universal religion honoring Din, Farore, and Nayru was also established. Many casualties occurred, many of them supposedly Hylian Knights. The Hylian race remained the most prevalent and powerful race in Hyrule up to the time of the events involving the Ocarina of Time. The Hyrulian monarchy was made up of Hylians, they were the most populous of all the races in Hyrule, and they now worshiped the Golden Goddesses, even erecting the Temple of Time in their honor. After these events, the fate of the Hylian race took very different turns. Hyrule's Decline & The Last Hero After Link lost the fight against Ganondorf and the Sealing War, Hyrule was in utter chaos and the Hylian race nearly extinct; Ganondorf‘s first place of attack had been Castle Town, where the majority of the Hylians lived. The race maintained a steady but small population throughout the Downfall period. The Golden Goddesses may have incarnated themselves in the mortal forms of three Hylian women: the Oracle of Seasons (Din), the Oracle of Ages (Nayru), and the Oracle of Secrets (Farore). However, after the tragedy of Princess Zelda in this period, the Hylian race slowly declined along with the kingdom of Hyrule until only traces of either remained. The Dark World & The Hero's Descendants During this period the Hylian race does not experience a decline. Despite a greater number of humans in Castle Town and outlying villages like Kakariko Village and Ordon Village, Hylians remain the majority race and maintain control of the monarchy (Princess Zelda is, as always, a Hylian). At some point after events involving the Ocarina of Time, either the Temple of Time or Castle Town and Hyrule Castle was moved. The Hero of Wind & The New World Before the events involving the Wind Waker Ganondorf managed to escape from his seal and wreak havoc on Hyrule. Without a Hero to defeat him, the gods told King Daphnes to herd his people on to high hills so that they could flood the land. Hyrule soon became a legend submerged beneath The Great Sea while the people prospered on the scattered islands above. While most other races perished in the flood, many Hylians survived. As the islands began to repopulate themselves, the majority of the people on them were Hylian. In fact, the Hylian race was almost the only one to exist. During the events involving the Phantom Hourglass a new continent was discovered by Link, Tetra, and the Pirate Crew. They founded New Hyrule on this continent, and it was soon populated almost exclusively with Hylians. Appearance Hylians traditionally have pointed ears, and generally have blue or blue-grey eyes and light skin, although the ethnicity as a whole has a wide degree of variation. The lower classes usually wear casual clothing; Hylian males tend to wear belt leather jerkins, and females wear long gowns in many different colors; Hyrulean symbols are often part of the embroidery in their dresses. Tall buns are common in women, while men of the working class usually wear broad-brimmed hats in order to protect their skin from the sun and the rain. Some men also wear knee-length leather boots. It has been observed that the higher classes including royalty wear complex and luxurious jewelry including precious metals and gemstones such as gold and rubies. Culture Hylians have a medieval theme to them which fits to the medieval setting. Many architectural elements seen in the series greatly resemble architecture from the medieval times in real life. Clothing styles vary but are mainly consistent with the overall medieval theme. Unlike most other races, Hylians are a predominantly urban race. This, however, by no means suggests that Hylians are not seen elsewhere, as many people seen living on farms and other comparable non-urban locations have been Hylian. Hylians are shown to have ranging professions, varying from farmers to merchants and bartenders. In addition, Hylians are known of being highly superstitious, having a rich mythology and many legends. The currency used by the Hylians are rupees. Faith The Hylian worship the Golden Goddesses - Din, Nayru and Farore. They also hold high respect to the Seven Sages who reside in the Sacred Realm and attempt to keep the world in order. Magic One of the few known abilities that the Hylian people possess is the use of their pointed ears to receive special messages from the gods themselves. This also includes the ability to send telepathic messages to other Hylians across time and space. This is an ability that continues to get passed unto their children, their children's children and so on. Sahasrahla and an incarnation of Princess Zelda display this particular ability. The former being able to communicate to Link across even the void between dimensions to assist the young hero in his quest. Military The Hyrulean Soldiers are the main military force for the Hylians and Hyrule as a whole. They keep order in Hyrule and protect the Royal Family from enemies and threats that could arise. The Hyrulean Soldiers valiantly protect the Royal Family. The Knights of Hyrule also have a similar role, except they often fight in the wars that occur. They originated as brave warriors who fought Ganon and his army during the Imprisoning War. The Knights of Hyrule bloodline continues on through the ages, even to this day. Government Hyrule's form of government has remained relatively consistent throughout its history, with an ancient monarchy, the Royal Family of Hyrule, ruling over the lower-caste citizens of the kingdom from Hyrule's capital city, Hyrule Castle Town. The Royal Family itself rules from the seat of government in the land of Hyrule, Hyrule Castle, the namesake of the capital. The government is typically headed by the King of Hyrule, and his heir in most depictions of Hyrule is his daughter or descendant, Princess Zelda. In some cases, Zelda herself has ruled over the land as matriarch of the Royal Family as well, such as during the Twili invasion of Hyrule. Hyrule is typically divided into various provinces and most of the various races pledge their allegiance to the central government headed by the Royal Family. Each race has its own local government and the individual tribal leaders, but all races pledge their overall allegiance to the Royal Family as kingdom of Hyrule citizens. Hyrule has faced many coups throughout its history, but ultimately the Royal Family is usually restored to power through the efforts of Hyrule's hero, Link. Technology Technology of Hyrule and the Hylians has varied between the eras. It is shown that they use medieval contraptions primarily, but advanced technology exists as well. Cameras, steam boats, trains and "steampunk" weapons have been seen in use. Cannons, jukeboxes, fans and elevators are also signs of Hylian technology. Bombs are also commonly used, but very few Hylians can make them. Trivia & Notes (To Be Added) Category:Legend of Zelda Races Category:Races Category:Elven Races